Breast cancer is among the most common malignant forms of cancer and is a leading cause of death from cancer among women in the United States. It is well recognized that early detection of breast cancer is the single most important variable in the successful cure and treatment of the cancer.
Various methods for detecting breast cancer include angiography, ultrasonography, light scanning, isotope scanning, thermography, mammography and manual palpation. With the exception of manual palpation, these techniques are time consuming, expensive and require the interpretation of a trained specialist. Manual palpation, on the other hand, is easily and inexpensively performed and, with proper training, may be performed as a self-examination, promoting a greater sense of privacy and an increased frequency of examination.
The potential effectiveness of early detection by manual examination relies on the effectiveness of manual palpation. Nearly all breast cancers are potentially palpable and thus candidates for early detection by manual examination.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,134,218, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a model of a human female breast having means simulating skin, glandular, connective and/or skeletal tissue, adipose tissue and tumors. In addition, this patent discloses methods of using a more sophisticated model containing electric conductors to train a person to detect breast tumors by palpation by automatically generating a set of signals representative of the pattern of pressure applied to the model by the person. However, this more sophisticated model and method is used with electrical apparatus and means for interpreting the signals generated and requires the use of a microprocessor, adding to the complexity and cost of the model.
The present invention is based on new evidence indicating that training a person to achieve a certain proficiency in palpation techniques, more specifically those for the early detection of breast cancer, may be reinforced by the interrelationship of visual and tactile stimuli. It would be desirable to have a model of a human female breast and methods of using the same for teaching breast examination which would foster the interrelationship of visual and tactile stimuli.